– The Chicago Cyclocross Cup New Year’s Resolution is back and will serve as a springboard for riders looking to put final touches on their preparations for the USA Cycling CX National Championships next weekend. Its going to be a lot colder this year, so we at the CCC encourage everyone to bundle up, bring your cowbells and cameras, and spend the weekend at the Hilton Indian Lakes Resort (ILR). Plenty to discuss below so please pay attention…

– Tech Guide: Pretty much everything you need to know is here. We didn’t write this thing for ourselves, so please review it. More info is also on our NYR page here.

– Registration: Online pre-reg closes tonight at midnight. For the locals or if you raced with us last year, we’ll be running reg the same way as every other CCC race. Please allow all 40+ & 50+ racers to reg first since they have to get ready and race first thing in the morning. If you’re coming to race in Chicagoland for the first time we’re glad you’re here! Just bring your USAC and/or Intl license to the registration room (yes we accept the USAC phone app). If you pre-reg’d we’ll have your USAC release form pre-filled for you in a big blue binder. Sign your release, grab your number and go. Day-Of registrants will need to be entered into the computer but it only takes a second.

– Please bring your own pins. Also, you’ll get a different bib number each day, so make sure to come back Sunday morning for your new number.

– Speaking of the USAC phone app, PLEASE renew your annual USAC license online at USACycling.org before arriving at the venue. Annual licenses purchased on or after 12/1/12 are good until 12/31/2013 and you must have a 2013 license to race either day this weekend.

– Waitlists:  We have a strict 100 rider field limit on course at one time. All fields are open and there are no waitlists at this time. If reg fills up today or on race day please see the ‘Registration’ section in the tech guide for a full explanation of the Day-Of waitlist procedure.

– UCI Staging: Staging for the UCI Women and Men races is by UCI rank/points and then drawing random lots for riders without UCI points. If you do NOT have UCI points you need to make sure you draw your random lot, otherwise you will be staged at the back of the field.

– Amateur Staging: The NYR is NOT a CCC series race and we will be using CrossResults.com points to stage all amateur categories. While we will post full results to USAC Saturday evening those results will NOT update CrossResults.com points for Sunday.

– Preliminary staging for all categories for both days (except random staging for UCI racers w/out UCI points and obviously day-of registrants) will be posted here no later than Friday morning (1/4/13). Please note there are two worksheets (one for Saturday, one for Sunday). Also, since we do not have onsite access to the CrossResults.com points database, all non-UCI day-of registrants will be staged at the back of their fields based on order of registration.

– Podiums presentations for each race will occur immediately after each race finish on the CCC podiums near the finish line (look for the 4 CCC razor flags… you can’t miss them), so pay attention during and after your race, we may be calling your name! There will also be a warming / interview tent located close to the podiums for rider/media use. The full payout schedule for both days is posted here.

– Sponsors: The CCC NYR is made possible by generous support from the following sponsors:

      

     

– Results: Results will be posted to USACycling.org here the evening after each race. Results are NOT just about your placing though. As with all other CCC series and Chicagoland races we’ll have posts up here on the CCC site each afternoon where we encourage you to post links in the comment section to your Flickr/Picasa/FB/etc pictures & videos and race reports/blogs.

– Anti-doping: The UCI will be conducting random anti-doping tests at the event. Riders are responsible for reporting to anti-doping control if they are selected to be tested.

– Weather: The forecast for the weekend has temps in the low 30’s with partly sunny skies. There is a small chance of precipitation earlier in the week but then dry… and windy through Sunday. Please bring plenty of warm clothes for after your race so you can stick around and heckle.

– Speaking of… you will be heckled… period. You might not even be racing when it happens. If you’re coming in from out of town and haven’t experienced Chicago’s style of  CX heckling, at best you may be taken aback, and at worst quite offended. But don’t worry, its all just for fun… but we’ll let Chicago’s head heckler and the Don Rickles of CX… Mr. Rob Curtis of PSIMET explain.

– For the more professional wordsmiths… Richard Fries and Todd Busteed will be announcing the race, and Kelly Minx Riordan will be hostessing the awards and podiums.

– Everyone’s favorite mechanic Jose Alcala will be manning the equipment pits both days with SRAM Neutral support. We don’t expect too much mud (if any), but if it appears we’ll need pressure washers we’ll have them in the pits.

– Merchandise: If you ordered CCC merchandise you can pick it up in the registration room. We will also have CCC Contigo coffee mugs only for sale. Cash, check, or credit!

– The Hotel: There’s a big reason we’re hosting a cyclocross race on a golf course in suburban Illinois the weekend before USA Cycling CX National Championships… the Hilton Indian Lakes Resort. ILR has many amenities including hotel rooms mere steps away from the course, indoor bathrooms, showers, two restaurants, a spa, pool, a hot tub, plenty of parking, and last but certainly not least… The Cave. There is WiFi in the hotel but the signal isn’t great in the guest rooms outside of the main lobby. We suggest bringing an Ethernet cable. ILR will be running an all day buffet special at the Master’s Clubhouse adjacent to the registration room and finish line. There’s also a bar in case you want to, you know, ring in the new year a little late.

– Speaking of, the CCC will be hosting an informal party and meet & greet with several pro (and non-pro) riders at the The Cave bar (in the hotel atrium) Saturday evening. Stop by to have a drink, say hello to old and new friends, and ring in the New Year (okay, a few days late) in the best way we know how… with a CX party.

– Course Crossings: There are four official pedestrian course crossings. Please use them to cross the course safely. We still need a few course marshals as well. Please either sign up here or contact us if you have some time to spare on race day.

– Bathrooms: Spot-a-pots, Port-o-lets, Lepri-cans… call them what you will but they are cold with the temps dip down low. Indoor bathrooms (and showers) are just inside the clubhouse doors to the right, close to registration but not necessarily near the start line… so please plan accordingly.

– Club Row: No charges this year for Club Row along the start/finish pavement section, but space is limited on a first come, first served basis. If you have questions about where to set up please email us ahead of time or see a race director at the venue. Indian Lakes is notoriously windy, so if you do set up a pop-up tent please bring stakes, weights, kettle bells, large babies, etc to help weigh down your tent. Many unsecured tents have been damaged in the past due to strong winds. You may leave your tent overnight, but please break it down all the way. The CCC is not responsible for lost or stolen personal items.

– The Course: The CCC series race at ILR in November is a perennial favorite. Sand traps, fairways, roughs, a little mud, dodging flying golf balls… ILR has it all. The NYR course is slightly different (thankfully no one will be golfing, we made sure this year) and goes the opposite direction (anti-clockwise) but uses many of the same course features including, yes, the sand traps. Staging is on the asphalt cart path at the Northern edge of the course. The entrance to the staging grid is on the North section of crowd barriers, adjacent to Pro-Row. The course will be ready for pre-riding Friday afternoon.

– The NYR course runs anti-clockwise and can be broken into 4 sections… 1 path/grass power section followed by 1 grass power section, 1 technical section, and then a final power section. We intend to alter the course slightly from Saturday to Sunday but the majority of the course will be the same both days.

1. The start takes the course on a quick trip through Club Row and then heads up a small incline and past the Finish Line. A sweeping dog-leg left takes the course around a set of t-boxes to the first grass section. Winding around to the left the course passes to the opposite side of the finish line and heads South out onto the course proper. After a tricky off-camber turn the first real obstacle is the hill located at the far South West corner of the course.
2. The course then straightens out in a fast grass power section heading towards the Eastern edge of ILR’s property. A long straight stretch and a few quick turns and then the course winds back to the first entrance to the equipment pits.
3. After exiting the pits the course doubles back on itself to the inside and heads South again. In this section riders will be greeted by UCI regulation maximum height barriers. Making full use of all of the terrain and possibly a sand pit or three the course twist and turns its way back to the main incline at the South Western edge of the course. Any wet weather (unlikely) or residual snow (more likely) will cause this section on the driving range to become muddy.
4. After negotiating the hill for the 2nd and last time the course straightens out into the final long, par 4, power section heading straight towards the finish and Club Row. After a quick trip through several real sand pits the course turns 180 degrees to the right for a final pass through the equipment pits. A large, sweeping 180 to the left on the cart path turns the course back to the West, past the staging grid and Club Row, and up the small incline to the finish line.